INTRODUCTION TO PLANETARY SCIENCE AND ASTRONOMY

an online high school spring semester class

The course will be a spring semester course starting in January of 2017. This course will be an introductory astronomy survey course with a strong emphasis in planetary science. There will be overviews of all the major bodies in our solar system, as well as stars, galaxies, origins and evolution of the solar system and the universe, and the possibility of life in the universe. The course will cover significant solar system processes such as impact, tectonics, volcanism, atmospheric processes, effects of the solar wind, as well as the basics of orbital mechanics. Also covered will be the history of exploration of each of the bodies in our solar system. Planetary surfaces, atmospheres, interiors, magnetic fields, and ring systems and their associated origins and processes will be explored. Also, the Sun and its effects on the planets will be addressed. Though not an observational astronomy class per se, students will be taught how to and required to make basic observations of the night sky not requiring a telescope, of objects such as planets, the Moon, meteors, satellites, and stars. By the end of the course, students will have developed an appreciation for planets and the universe in general and the major processes at work, allowing them to intelligently enjoy future planetary exploration and telescopic studies of space. By the end of the course, they should have a fairly refined understanding of: our current state of knowledge for all major bodies in the solar system (their origins and current states); important processes at work in the solar system; and techniques used to study the solar system and deep space. They also should have a basic understanding of stars, galaxies, the origin of the universe, and astrobiology.

Cost will be $65 for the semester

Although not required, multiple field trips will be scheduled for sky viewing. ​​